School's Principal Hailed as Hero and a Friend to All

Sandy Hook Elementary School Principal Dawn Hochsprung seemed to have time for everybody.

ENLARGE

Principal Dawn Hochsprung, in 2010, was active in and out of school.
Newtown Patch/Reuters

During the week, Ms. Hochsprung was devoted to leading teachers and students in the small New England town of Newtown, Conn., arriving early and staying late. She would tweet pictures of students learning and volunteering. She knew every student by name and had just delivered holiday gift baskets to staff members.

At home, she was a wife, mother and grandmother. On Friday nights and weekends, she attended a doctoral program at the Esteves School of Education in upstate New York.

"Every parent who knows her just adores her," said Diane Day, a therapist for the district who was in a routine meeting with Ms. Hochsprung, other staff members and a parent when the shooting started around 9:30 a.m. on Friday. She "just was a wonderful person to work with."

Police say that alleged gunman Adam Lanza, 20, appears to have broken into Sandy Hook elementary School to gain access to the building.

After hearing the shots, Ms. Hochsprung headed toward the danger, witnesses said. She was one of 26 at the school killed, including 20 students.

At one of those of morning meetings a few days ago, Ms. Hochsprung realized Connie Malgrande, a speech pathologist, seemed a little sad. She asked Ms. Malgrande into her office, decorated with family pictures and school activities. "She said, come on in and have some candy and let's talk it over," said Ms. Malgrande. "I considered her a friend. I'm going to miss her greatly."

Ms. Hochsprung's Twitter feed provides a glimpse into what life was like at Sandy Hook Elementary this past fall. She shared inspirational quotes, tips on how to deal with stress and showed her staff preparing for the Common Core, new curriculum standards most states have adopted.

She had given little holiday gifts to her staff members: Bags of treats and a flash drive with "Sandy Hook" written on it.

On Oct. 17, she tweeted a picture of students lined up on blacktop during an annual evacuation drill. "Safety first at Sandy Hook," the tweet said.

Dianne Shay, a substitute teacher and neighbor in nearby Woodbury, said Ms. Hochsprung was always available for students.

"The students had someone to go to if they needed someone," she said. "She would go into classrooms and say good morning. That's the type of person she was."

At Esteves, Ms. Hochsprung made a big impression on the dean, Lori Quigley. "She had an infectious smile, very proud of her job," she said.

While it is still unclear what happened in the school's hallways, neighbor Brendon Winters said he wouldn't be surprised if Ms. Hochsprung acted to protect her school. "The accounts we're hearing on the news are saying in all likelihood she's a hero," he said. "I don't doubt it for a second."

Ms. Malgrande, who was not at school Friday, said her principal's actions were right in character. "That's just who she was," Ms. Malgrande said. "She was a take-charge kind of person. I can see her doing anything to keep the school safe."

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